“Jon. Jon! Jonny! Hey, hey boy, what’s the matter, huh?” Benjamin was crouching in front of his former-brother, trying to snap him out of the blank, despondent stare he seemed to have fallen into as he tumbled into the grass chasing the ball.
When he didn’t respond, Benji reached to unwind the leash from where he’d clipped it to his belt. A low growl had him glancing back up, shocked to see Jon backing away, his dog-like haunches bunching awkwardly as he scrambled to figure out how to work his canine lower-half. Jon’s sagging jowls were stretched and quivering as they pulled back in a snarl, his big, brown eyes fixed on the leash.
Benjamin held his hands up placatingly “Easy, bud. I just figured you were tired, maybe... ready to go *home*? Maybe get some *dinner*? *Food*? Are you *hungry,* boy?” Benji was throwing out all the words he hoped his dog-brother would respond positively to, but Jon just kept backing away from him in a low, aggressive crouch.
Suddenly Jon sprung upright, his legs bent in a new digitigrade stance on their restructured joints. But just as Benjamin lunged to grab him by the collar, Jon turned and sprinted into the woods - his new legs and rearranged muscles propelling him much faster than Benji could have run. He was left standing in shock, unsure how, or even IF he should go after his transformed brother...
Trees flashed by rapidly as Jon tore mindlessly through the forest, his muscular legs feeling as if they’d never tire. A crick in his spine had him throwing out a hand as he dodged around a large boulder, the claws of his fingers digging into soft earth and helping to divert his course. He used his other hand as his momentum swung the other way, and without realizing it, was soon running on all fours as he lept logs and low shrubs in his haste to escape his new reality. His fingers were shortening, tough pads raising to match those on his feet that protected his extremities from the rough ground. Useless thumbs shrank away to nothing without notice as Jon allowed the feeling of running free through the woods to empty his mind of all the anxiety and worry that had been bruilding to a crescendo.
He let out a loud “aWOOOOOOOOO” as he crested a hill, dropping his nose to the ground in an unconscious need to read the messages of the forest.